BCF Live Connector - Value Conversion

tonigyllenberg

Thank you for the feedback. We have also internally discussed some ideas regarding multiple Conflict Resolution Dialogs, but in order to explain how to improve this, I’ll give a little bit of background on what was happening with the previous connector, and what is happening now:

Previous BCF Connector: When Syncing to a project, and e.g. downloading all changes, the local slides in communication get updated from the server side without any further notification. This tends to lead to confusion about which slides were updated, and what has actually changed.

BCF Live Connector: When connecting to a project which also contains local slides, either in communication or checking, Solibri will pop-up a Conflict Resolution Dialog whenever there is a difference of values between local and server slides. This has been implemented in this way, so that the user has input on what changes are to be reflected in the local and server project, and has the power to choose which values to keep all around.

A minor note about the multiple Value Conversion Dialogue, this is a known issue and should pop-up ONLY during the initial import to BCF Live. Once the conversion has been done one time, the values are saved in the local project as well (as long as the model is saved). We are looking into the option of doing the Value Conversion only once for an initial connection, after the initial import.

This being said, I do understand the complications this brings about. How do you feel about the following options:

Conflict resolution dialog: Implement a setting to “Always use latest values” which will completely remove the Conflict Resolution Dialog, and would always rely on modification date. This would mean, that as a user, you do not get direct feedback (in the form of a Value Conversion Dialogue) on what has changed since the last connection.

Value Conversion dialog: Implement a setting dialog, where all of the possible values (Solibri<->Server) are mapped based on user input, and would get saved and automatically converted without needing a pop-up (unless of course, a new value comes along). I.e. After the first Value Conversion dialog pops up, the chosen conversion values would be saved and used in the future as well.

Hovinbole

Thanks for the quick response!

The Value Conversion dialogue pops up everytime, if I switch between projects I get approximately 20-30 windows + Conflict resolution, This takes 10-15 minutes to get past and actually get to work.
As you point out, indeed the values are saved, but the windows still pop up unfortunately.

The options you provide seem interesting and will give improved effiency I’m sure.

In my case I have pretty tight contact with all project participants so we rarely discuss solutions via bcf, I export bcfs and they fix and sync back, so the only information I need in return is seeing the issues resolved, any comments usually comes by email.

The Value Conversion Settings Dialog seem like the right step forward, in my case anyways, I can’t speak for anyone else, but this option would save me some time and again, improve effiency.

tonigyllenberg

@Hovinbole,

One more question, after initially adding issues to BCF Live, and getting the Value Conversion and Conflict Resolution Dialogs, do you always save the model before ending the session (or is there some reason to not save the model afterwards?).

The Value Conversion should pop up during the initial import of issues to BCF Live, or then when adding a new checking result individually. Once the value conversion has been completed, the values are then saved to the local slides as well. And as long as the model is saved, these values should not require Value Conversion Dialog anymore.

Hovinbole

Yes, I always save the model after ending the session.

Ok, then something is not working in my model apparently.

Let me just list up the process from start to finish, keep in mind that this is not the initial import, but existing.

Open the BCF Live Connector
Selecting project I have worked on several times in Connector
Starting Synchronization
Value Conversion windows pop up in the dousins, along with several Conflict Resolutions for each
Approximately 20 min has gone by, now I can start working, but the Connector is very slow and the responsetime is way slower then before. The whole Connector itself is quite slow really.

For reference:
i7 8700K CPU
128GB Ram
1TB SSD, 12TB SATA
Quadro RTX 4000

EDIT: It has been atleast 40-50 minutes now and the BCF Connector is still syncing, this cannot be right? It has also asked me to supply credentials twice, the last time it would not axept my password.

Maxime Sabbagh

Hello,

I have kind of same problem. I lost the link between server issues and local issue (like those in my presentation or in checking result).
I will try to explain my case and am sorry for my bad english…
Here is my process:

1- Open the latest version of my solibri file, on which i worked one week ago.
2-I still have alle the issues that i have created before in my presentation (communication layout)
3- I connect to the BCFLiveConnector, and start synchronisation with server.
4-Here, i have just few issues that induce Value conversion dialog; because most of them has been resolved.
5-I select the server value instead of solibris value

My problem is: Now I have in BCFLiveView all the issues that are on server. But these one don’t have link with issues in my presentation anymore, therefore neither with checking result issues.
And when I import Issues from presentation, the issues that I import are duplicated with the one on the server…

It is really important for me to keep linked local issues to server issues, in order to have the option “show in result” in the presentation view in right clicking on an issue. In this way, when I modify an issue from the presentation view, the “same” issue (the one which it is supposed to be linked with) in the BCFLiveConnector view isn’t modified…

Hope you will understand my bad english, and that someone could help me.

Thank you

tonigyllenberg

Hello @Maxime-Sabbagh,

Thank you for the feedback. Without knowing more, it sounds to me like a case in which the model was not saved after the initial import to BCF Live. To better explain, here is some background:

After local issues are imported from presentations or checking results, the links are stored with the SMC model (and not with the BCF issues) . Once they have been initially imported to BCF Live, and the checking result/local slide icon and link is shown in the BCF Live View, it is essential that the model is saved in order to retain these links.
In case the model does not get saved, the next time you startup the project and connect to the server project via BCF Live Connector, the links and icons will not be displayed. In addition, reimporting these slides or checking results will result in duplication of the slides in question.

These sound like the symptoms you are experiencing, however would you be able to provide some more info?

After the initial import of issues to BCF Live, were the checking/local slide icons available at all? Or did they never show up?
Do you recall, if the SMC model was saved after the initial import to BCF Live?

Kind regards,

Toni

Ronald van Emst

I also have the same problem using BCF connector with BIMCollab, many popups and it’s realy slow.
This is not workable when you are in a meeting to discuss the issues with other parties.

I’ve installed the previous version of Solibri again.

tonigyllenberg

Hello All!

Regarding the multiple Value Conversion dialogs, a fix for this is already in place and will be released with 9.12.1. There is also a fix in progress to reduce the amount of Conflict Resolution dialogs. If you are interested in testing the improved version before release, please join our beta program. 9.12.1 beta is aimed to be available around the 16th of November.

Some tips which may help you out in the meantime:

Upon initial import of issues to BCF Live, solve all Value Conversion dialogs, and confirm that the issues are synched (green checkmark). Save the model after Value Conversion dialogs have been handled.
Once Value Conversion dialogs have been handled after the initial sync, they should no longer be popping up at all in the next connections (unless if other issues are imported OR local issues have been edited with invalid values). In case you do encounter multiple Value Conversion Dialogs during the next connection, and it makes things very slow, we suggest using the filter option before synchronizing to bring the issue count down and make the process easier to handle. Once they have been handled, save the model.
When solving Conflict Resolutions, please be sure not accept any invalid values (accept only server values). Currently, there is a known issue with BIMcollab not saving modification dates for all server changes, and this may result in server modification dates missing from Conflict Resolution Dialogs, and thus Solibri values are always colored blue and selected (as latest values are selected by default). This has been communicated with BIMcollab, and they have reported that a fix is underway.

Kind regards,
Toni on behalf of the Solibri team

Maxime Sabbagh

Hello,

I’m sorry but I always have the same problem, even if i save the file after initial import…
After the initial import, the issues imported are not linked with the "same " issue in presentation or checking result…
I don’t understand what i should do.

Thank you

tonigyllenberg

Hello @Maxine-Beadle,

By Initial import, I am referring to the very first time issues are added to the BCF Live view. During this initial import, the links to the issues should appear in the BCF Live view. After this initial import, the model must be saved. Any connections made after that will not display the links, if the model has not been saved after the very first initial import.

The main question I have now, is if the links were ever visible in the BCF Live View? I’ve sent you a direct message, we could have a quick online meeting to go through the issue deeper.

Kind regards,

Toni on behalf of the Solibri team

Katrin

Hello,
I have the same problem and for me the BCF Live Connector is not usable. I get a hundred value conversions and can only process them in slow motion, because it takes forever to accept the new values. So far I did not manage to process the messages once completely, so I can test if it occurs again after saving or only at initial opening.
I hope very much Solibri will fix this with the next update. I have switched back to the old version…

tonigyllenberg

Hello!

After going through the issue with @Maxine-Beadle, we have collected some recommendations regarding new and existing server projects. To achieve the best possible results, and avoid problems with synchronization, it is suggested that:

New server projects: It is recommended that all new server projects are initially populated with issues using 9.12.0. This will ensure that links to checking results and local slides are saved properly. It is also highly recommended that all project participants would use the BCF Live Connector to avoid problems with synchronization, issue duplication, etc.

Existing server projects: If the server project has already been created and populated with an earlier version of Solibri, to achieve the best results, it is recommended to:

Transfer the server project: Make sure the SMC file presentation/checking slides are up to date with a previous version of Solibri. Create a fresh, empty server project into which you can then import all issues from the Solibri SMC file using the BCF Live Connector in Solibri 9.12.0. This will ensure that links to checking results and local slides are properly saved, as the linking feature did not exist to the same extent before 9.12.0. Once the new server project has been created and populated, the old server project should be made redundant. All project participants should then continue with the BCF Live Connector and 9.12.0.

Or:

Use only BCF Live View: Connect to the server project with 9.12.0, and work solely on the BCF Live view (which is possible even without the SMC file), accepting that links to checking results and local presentation issues will not work with issues originating from previous Solibri versions. Issues can still be updated and edited in BCF Live, however transferring and linking these to the older local issues is not supported.

Or:

Simply continue working on that server project in a previous version of Solibri, and then once a new project is ready to begin, or once you are ready to transfer the project, switch to 9.12.0.

Kind regards,
Toni on behalf of the Solibri team

tonigyllenberg

Hello @Katrin,

Thanks for your feedback. The issue regarding multiple Value Conversion dialogs is known, and a fix has been implemented and will be available with the release of 9.12.1. We also noticed, that having the Link column enabled causes sluggish reaction with the BCF Live View, and a fix is being investigated at the moment.

P.S. We are always looking for more beta testers! If you are eager and willing to test, and are not yet part of our beta program, please see this post for instructions on joining the beta testing program. We are aiming to have the beta release around the 16th of November.

Kind regards,

Toni on behalf of the Solibri team

Willem.db

@tonigyllenberg I’m following this thread because my colleagues and I experiencing te same issue. So we decided to stick with version 9.8 until this issue regarding the many pop-ups and conflict resolutions is resolved. I also save the model after convert all values, but they remain the next time I open the model (fewer pop-ups, but still to many to waste our time on)

I just want to react to your request for more beta testers; I’ve Beta tested the 9.12 version myself, and it was fine and worked really nice! But, the many popups and conflict resolutions weren’t part of this beta as far as I know.
So when asking beta testers, make sure the official released version works the same as the beta we’ve tested, to prevent this in the future, is all I want do adress

Anyway, I’m looking forward to version 9.12.1! Hopefully this is resolved and I can start implementing this workflow in our company

Kind regards,
Willem

user001

Hello @tonigyllenberg

I have started using the BCF live connector and really like the idea of it. But as many said before me it dosent work atm. Now whenever i connect to BCF Live I need to spend about 10 minutes closing conversion dialog and conflict resolution dialog and it just seems like unnecessarily work, I really have more important thing to do rather then closing the windows that I dont even see the actual issue, I just see the name of the issue and assume things wich worries me that maybe I close/reactive something that should not.

And this process is for one project, let say I have 5 or more project. That is just timewasting in my opinion.

I read some of the upper post that were som options to this problem and really hope that this gets attention and gets fixed asap, becaue right now I want to downgrade and do it like I did before but at the same time I want to progress and make the industry move forward.

tonigyllenberg

Hello @user001,

Thanks for the feedback! I understand your pain, and would like to assure you that as mentioned above, the issue with multiple Value Conversion dialogs is known and a fix will be available in 9.12.1. At the same time we have a possible solution to avoid many conflict resolutions.

For anyone else having issues with the BCF Live connector, we would really love to hear your feedback on the fixes available in 9.12.1. The beta version is aimed to be available next week, and if you are not yet a beta tester, please see this post for more information on joining.

Kind regards,
Toni on behalf of the Solibri team

Joel

Hello all!

I don’t know if this issue is mentioned above, haven’t had the time to read everything through, but I just hooked up a project to the BCF Live Connector and I’ve got a value conversion box/Conflict Resolution for EVERY issue in my server results dropping in.

That’s over 400 issues… And I can’t close them all at once…
I have to close one box, in order to get to the next, since the ones hidden in the background are “locked”

Is this going to occur every time I open this model or just this first time?
(Until I’ve corrected them all?)

Thanks in advance!
/Best Regards
Joel Öman

tonigyllenberg

Hello @Joel!

It is not intended that these pop-ups show up on every connection, or that there would be so many of them. This issue is known, and a beta version will be available shorty for testing!

Kind regards,

Toni on behalf of the Solibri team

tonigyllenberg

Wink wink

We now have a beta version available for testing, which has improvements made to BCF Live, and to be more specific, the issue of multiple value conversion dialog pop-ups. Please test, and let us know how it feels!

Kind regards,

Toni on behalf of the Solibri team